Hello REALTORS®, Because elections in South Carolina are skewed toward one of the two major political parties, most elections are often settled in the party primaries. The primaries are on June 11. It’s not too early to start doing your homework about the candidates. On the ballot in the Western Upstate will be the following… Read more »
Read MoreHousing Supply Overview U.S. sales of new-residential homes fell for the first time in three months, sliding 0.3% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 662,000 units, according to the Census Bureau, as the previous month’s sales pace was revised up to 664,000 units from 661,000 units. Despite the decline, new-home sales were up… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, For more than year, since a developer floated a 1,200-home neighborhood in the Dacusville area, Pickens County has imposed a moratorium on new subdivisions of 50 lots or more. That moratorium expired with the adoption of a new Unified Development Standards Ordinance on April 1. But county council replaced it with a new… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, 2024 continues to be a busy year for government affairs. It’s an election year, including for President and Congress. The SC General Assembly is nearing the end of a two-year term, and several Realtor issues are under consideration. And your board of directors recently approved a position statement on annexation. But first, flood… Read more »
Read MoreMonthly Indicators U.S. existing-home sales grew 3.1% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.00 million, exceeding economists’ expectations and marking the strongest sales pace since August 2023, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Falling interest rates late last year, coupled with a recent uptick in inventory, helped existing-home sales to climb… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Signs and sign ordinances can be beneficial to Realtors, but they also come with responsibility. Over the last several years, your REALTORS® Association successfully lobbied for protection of signs that communicate that real property is for sale while local sign ordinances were updated across the Western Upstate. Almost a decade ago, the U.S…. Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Federal Funding for HUD The federal budget is divided into 12 different bills. For years, Congress has failed to pass them, and they haven’t passed a budget on time since 1996. Continuing resolutions have become regular order. The current fiscal year, which started October 1, 2023, is no different except that maybe this… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Later in this report, I cover National Flood Insurance Program authorization. Be sure to read through this report so you know what to expect this month regarding flood insurance. But first, signs. Signs and sign ordinances can be beneficial to Realtors, but they also come with responsibility. Over the last several years, your… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Your Western Upstate Association of REALTORS® is actively involved in local government. From counties, to cities, to school boards, to the local utility district, we monitor and advocate for Realtor interests. Our goals: To facilitate this effort, your association has asked a small team of members to guide our advocacy. The Grassroots Government… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, During the last year, we have been fortunate to have some great speakers on the economic conditions and forecasts about the future. The hot question recently is when will interest rates go down? We had the perfect speaker for that topic: Dr. Laura Ullrich, Senior Regional Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of… Read more »
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